Highlights

Actor Rajkummar Rao's Newton opened to excellent reviews on Friday. The Amit V Masurkar-directed film has managed to collected Rs 96 lakhs on its opening day, reported trade analyst Taran Adarsh. "#Newton witnessed ample growth in evening and night shows," Mr Adarsh tweeted. Newton narrates the story of a rookie government clerk, who is sent to a Naxal-controlled town in Chhattisgarh to conduct free and fair elections. The film, which has been produced by Drishyam Films, also features Pankaj Tripathi, Anjali Patil, Raghubir Yadav, Sanjay Mishra and Hardik Meriya in pivotal roles. Rajkummar Rao's Newton is India's official entry for the coveted Academy Awards 2018.

Rajkummar Rao, who is elated with Newton's entry to the Best Foreign Film category at the Oscars, told news agency PTI that he hopes that film brings him 'international recognition.' "I think I am doing something different every time and I want to grow with every film. I hope with Newton, I get more international recognition," PTI quoted the 33-year-old actor as saying. "It is one of the most important films of my career. It was made with a lot of honesty," he added.

In his review for NDTV, film critic Raja Sen wrote that Rajkummar Rao and Pankaj Tripathi provide 'terrific performances' in Newton.

"Amit Masurkar's Newton is a dry and intriguing look at an India we don't usually see - and shows us how hard it is to take elections seriously," wrote Mr Sen.

Rajkummar Rao's Newton was also reviewed by superstar Amitabh Bachchan, who wrote that the film is 'an eye opener on many aspects.'

See Mr Bachchan's tweet here:

T 2554 - Saw the film 'NEWTON' .. its stark reality was a treat to watch ! An eye opener .. on many aspects .. !! pic.twitter.com/zyeuDUPxiz

Rajkummar Rao's Newton will compete against Angelina Jolie's Cambodian film First They Killed My Father, Pakistani film Saawan, Sweden's The Square, Germany's In the Fade and Chile's A Fantastic Woman at the Oscars.